Lawyers of Allahabad HC, Lko bench at loggerheads
LUCKNOW: Lawyers of Allahabad high court and its Lucknow bench are once again at loggerheads over the issue of establishing an appellate tribunal of goods and services tax (GST) in their respective districts.
The issue brought lawyers of the high courts in confrontation mode after the Allahabad high court on February 9 last directed the GST Council to forward its recommendation to the Centre for establishing appellate tribunal in Allahabad and four area benches in Ghaziabad, Lucknow, Varanasi and Agra districts. Justice SP Kesarwani and justice YK Srivastava had passed the order.
This order has agitated lawyers of the Lucknow high court who want the appellate tribunal of the GST Council in the state capital. In the last two years, it is the second occasion when lawyers of the high court and those of its Lucknow bench are at loggerheads. The education tribunal issue had brought the lawyers of Lucknow and the Allahabad high court face to face in
August 2019. Lawyers in Lucknow and Allahabad high courts boycotted work for several weeks over the issue. Meanwhile, a delegation of Lucknow high court lawyers will meet union defence minister Rajnath Singh and union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi on Saturday to put forward its point on the issue.
President, Awadh Bar Association (ABA), HGS Parihar will lead the delegation. The association’s general secretary Sharad Pathak and other office-bearers are also a part of the delegation. “There is no point establishing the appellate GST tribunal in Allahabad. Being centrally located, Lucknow is the most apt place for the GST appellate tribunal,” said Parihar.
“A delegation of the Awadh Bar Association will meet defence minister and union finance minister in New Delhi on Saturday. oLater, we will also meet chief minister Yogi Adityanath,” Parihar added. After the education tribunal, the GST appellate tribunal will be one of the biggest in the state both in terms of cases and revenue for lawyers, say legal experts.